Registered AgentNV

Nevada Registered Agent Requirements: $0 vs $100/yr (2026)

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CPA · Small Business Compliance Specialist

Quick Answer

Every Nevada LLC must designate and continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical Nevada street address (no PO boxes), available during normal business hours to accept service of process (NRS Chapter 77). You can be your own registered agent for $0 if you are a Nevada resident 18 or older with a physical Nevada address, or hire a commercial registered agent service (market rate roughly $100–$300/year — an estimate, not a state fee). Changing your agent costs a $60 state filing fee.

Key Takeaways

  • Every Nevada LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent (NRS Chapter 77)
  • The agent needs a physical Nevada street address — PO boxes are not allowed (NRS 77.310)
  • The agent must be available at that address during normal business hours to accept service of process
  • You can be your own registered agent for $0 if you are a Nevada resident 18 or older
  • Commercial registered-agent services run roughly $100–$300/year — a market estimate, not a state fee
  • Changing your agent costs a $60 state filing fee (Registered Agent Acceptance / Statement of Change)
  • Letting your agent lapse puts the LLC in default and can lead to revocation of its charter
ItemCost/DetailsNotes
Being Your Own Registered Agent$0/yearIf you are a Nevada resident with a physical NV address
Commercial Registered Agent (basic)~$100–$150/yearMarket estimate — not a state fee
Commercial Registered Agent (premium)~$200–$300/yearMarket estimate — full-service with compliance alerts
Change of Registered Agent Filing$60Official Nevada SOS fee (Statement of Change)

Who Can Be a Registered Agent in Nevada?

Nevada's Model Registered Agents Act (NRS Chapter 77) governs who may serve as a registered agent for an LLC. The law sorts agents into two types based on how many entities they represent, not whether they are a person or a company:

Noncommercial Registered Agent (including yourself)

  • An individual or entity that represents fewer than 10 Nevada entities
  • An individual must be a Nevada resident, 18 or older
  • Must have a physical Nevada street address as the registered office (NRS 77.310)
  • Must be available during normal business hours to accept service of process
  • Can be a member, manager, or any other qualifying Nevada resident — this is the category you use when you act as your own agent

Commercial Registered Agent

  • An individual or entity that represents 10 or more Nevada entities (NRS 77.040)
  • Must file a Commercial Registered Agent Registration and appear on the Secretary of State's list of commercial agents
  • Must maintain a physical Nevada business address
  • Provides professional document receipt, scanning, and forwarding services

Nevada residency matters for individuals: If you live outside Nevada and have no physical Nevada address, you cannot personally serve as your own registered agent. You will need a registered agent located in Nevada. This trips up many owners who form Nevada LLCs for privacy or asset protection but live in another state.

Registered Agent Requirements in Nevada

Nevada imposes several specific requirements on registered agents to ensure legal documents can reliably reach your LLC:

Address Requirements

  • Physical street address required — PO Boxes are expressly prohibited
  • Address must be located in Nevada
  • The registered office address is filed publicly with the Nevada Secretary of State
  • Any change of address requires a formal filing with the SOS ($60 fee)

Availability Requirements

  • Must be physically present and available during normal business hours
  • Must be able to accept service of process, legal documents, and official state correspondence
  • Cannot simply be a vacant office or mail forwarding address without a person present

Ongoing Obligations

  • The registered agent relationship must be maintained continuously — there can never be a gap
  • If the agent moves or resigns, a new agent must be designated promptly
  • The registered agent's address appears on public filings and is accessible by anyone

Commercial Registered Agent Services

Most Nevada LLC owners — especially those who live outside Nevada or who want to maintain privacy — use a commercial registered agent service. These are professional businesses that specialize in accepting legal documents on behalf of multiple LLCs.

Benefits of Commercial Registered Agents

  • Privacy: Their address appears in public records, not yours
  • Reliability: Always available during business hours, even if you travel or work remotely
  • Compliance alerts: Many services notify you of upcoming deadlines and state correspondence
  • Document scanning: Receive digital copies of any documents served on your LLC
  • Professionalism: Avoids being served with lawsuits in front of clients or employees

Cost of Commercial Registered Agents

  • Budget services: $100–$150/year (basic document forwarding)
  • Mid-range services: $150–$200/year (compliance tracking included)
  • Premium services: $200–$300/year (full compliance management, multiple states)

Well-known commercial registered agent providers operating in Nevada include Northwest Registered Agent, Registered Agents Inc., National Registered Agents (NRAI), and CT Corporation. Many LLC formation services also include one year of registered agent service as part of their package.

Being Your Own Registered Agent in Nevada

If you are a Nevada resident with a physical Nevada address, you are legally permitted to serve as your own registered agent for your LLC. This costs nothing in annual fees but comes with important trade-offs.

Requirements to Serve as Your Own Agent

  • Must be a Nevada resident
  • Must have a physical Nevada street address (not a PO Box)
  • Must be available at that address during normal business hours
  • Your personal or business address will appear in public records

For a detailed analysis of the pros and cons, see our full guide: Can I Be My Own Registered Agent in Nevada?

Changing Your Registered Agent in Nevada

To change your registered agent, file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office with the Nevada Secretary of State. The fee is $60.

You can file online through the SilverFlume portal at sos.nv.gov. The change is effective upon acceptance by the Secretary of State. Coordinate with your new registered agent to ensure they are ready to begin accepting documents before the change takes effect.

Many commercial registered agent services handle this filing for you as part of their onboarding process when you switch. For the full picture of what else keeps your LLC in good standing, see our Nevada LLC compliance hub and the Nevada annual compliance requirements guide.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Failing to maintain a valid registered agent in Nevada has serious consequences for your LLC:

  • Default status: If no registered agent is on file, the LLC is deemed in default under NRS 86.251 — the first step toward losing your charter
  • Revocation of charter: Once in default, the Secretary of State can revoke the LLC's charter and forfeit its right to transact business in Nevada, plus a penalty for each delinquent year
  • Default judgments: Without a working agent to receive a lawsuit, you may not learn of it until a default judgment is entered against you
  • Loss of good standing: Banks, lenders, and partners often require a Certificate of Good Standing, which you cannot obtain while your agent is invalid
  • Reinstatement costs: Reinstating a revoked LLC means filing, paying overdue fees and penalties, and naming a valid agent — more time and money than simply staying compliant. See our Nevada LLC taxes and annual fees guide for the full cost picture

Don't let your registered agent lapse. If you change addresses, switch services, or your agent resigns, file a Statement of Change immediately. The $60 filing fee is far less than the cost of reinstatement or a missed lawsuit notice.

Do you actually need to pay for a registered agent?

For a lot of Nevada LLC owners, no. If you have a physical Nevada street address, you are reliably there during business hours, and you do not mind that address sitting in a public database, serving as your own registered agent is free and completely legal. That is the right answer for most single-owner LLCs, and it is the one we would give a friend.

Paying for a service earns its money in three specific situations: you do not live in Nevada, you run the business from home and want your home address off the Secretary of State's searchable record, or you travel enough that a process server could miss you. That last one is the expensive one — a lawsuit you never heard about becomes a default judgment.

If you land in one of those three, the provider we point people to is Northwest Registered Agent: $125/year per state with no per-document charges, $100/year per state at five or more states, and they do not sell customer data. Prices checked directly with the provider on July 26, 2026 — confirm before you buy.

Disclosure: the link below is a paid partner link. If you sign up through it we earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it does not change the price you pay, and it did not change the advice above. We told you the free option first because it is usually the better one. Full details on our affiliate disclosure page.

See Northwest Registered Agent's Nevada service

We do not review registered agent providers on this site and we are not saying this is the cheapest one. If being your own agent works for you, do that instead — it costs nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can be a registered agent in Nevada?

Under NRS Chapter 77, a Nevada registered agent must be either (1) an individual who is a Nevada resident at least 18 years old with a physical Nevada street address (a 'noncommercial registered agent'), or (2) a commercial registered agent — an individual or entity that serves 10 or more represented entities and is registered as such with the Nevada Secretary of State. The agent can be a member or manager of the LLC, but they must be physically present at a Nevada address during normal business hours to accept service of process.

How much does a Nevada registered agent cost?

If you are a Nevada resident with a physical Nevada address, you can serve as your own registered agent for $0. Commercial registered-agent services typically charge around $100–$300 per year depending on the provider and features (document scanning, compliance alerts). That price range is a market estimate — Nevada itself does not set a registered-agent service fee. The only related state charge is the $60 fee to file a change of agent.

Can I be my own registered agent in Nevada?

Yes. You can be your own registered agent in Nevada if you are a Nevada resident 18 or older, have a physical Nevada street address (no PO boxes), and are available at that address during normal business hours to accept service of process. The trade-off: your address becomes part of the public record on the Nevada Secretary of State website, and you risk being served with lawsuits in front of clients or family.

Do Nevada registered agents need a physical address?

Yes. Nevada law (NRS Chapter 77) requires every registered agent to maintain a physical Nevada street address. PO Boxes, mail drops, and virtual offices without a staffed physical presence are expressly prohibited. The address must be a real location where service of process can be physically delivered to a person during normal business hours, and the address is filed publicly with the Nevada Secretary of State.

How do I change my Nevada registered agent?

To change your Nevada registered agent, file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office with the Nevada Secretary of State. The filing fee is $60, and you can submit it online at sos.nv.gov. The change becomes effective upon acceptance by the Secretary of State. Coordinate with your new agent to ensure they're ready to accept documents before the switch — many commercial registered agent services file this Statement of Change for you as part of onboarding.

Does a Nevada LLC need a registered agent?

Yes. Nevada law requires every LLC to designate and continuously maintain a registered agent in Nevada. The registered agent must have a physical Nevada street address and be available during normal business hours to receive legal documents, tax notices, and official state correspondence on behalf of the LLC.

Can I use a PO Box as my registered agent address in Nevada?

No. Nevada law (NRS 77.310) requires a physical street address for the registered office. A PO box, mail drop, or virtual address is not acceptable. The address must be a real location where documents can be physically delivered and received during business hours.

Do I have to live in Nevada to be my own registered agent?

Yes, for an individual agent. To serve as your own (noncommercial) registered agent, you must be a Nevada resident with a physical Nevada street address. If you live in another state — common for owners who form Nevada LLCs for privacy or asset protection — you cannot personally serve as the agent and must hire a commercial registered agent located in Nevada.

What happens if my Nevada LLC doesn't have a registered agent?

If your Nevada LLC fails to maintain a registered agent, the LLC is deemed in default (NRS 86.251). The Secretary of State can then revoke the LLC's charter and forfeit its right to transact business, and a penalty applies for each delinquent year. Separately, without a valid agent, lawsuits and legal notices may never reach you, which can lead to a default judgment against your LLC.

How do I change my registered agent in Nevada?

File a Registered Agent Acceptance / Statement of Change (of registered agent or registered office) with the Nevada Secretary of State. The state filing fee is $60, and you can file online through the SilverFlume portal at sos.nv.gov. The change takes effect upon acceptance by the Secretary of State. Confirm your new agent is ready to accept documents before you file.

Official Source

For the most up-to-date information, always verify requirements with the official Nevada Secretary of State website:

https://sos.nv.gov

Important Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. LLC requirements, fees, and deadlines change frequently. Always verify current requirements with your state's Secretary of State office before making business decisions.

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